Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-07-08
TEACHERS In CONVENTION,
THE MEETING OF THE AMERICAN IN
STiTUTE OF INSTRUCTION.
- address OF Welcome by Governor Orms.
bee Response by President Hall
Discussions Participated in
by Able Educators.

IHe 4Sth annual meeting of the merican
institute OF Instruction opened in this city
Last evening with session at the opera
house The members began to arrive on
1 he afternoon trains. the As train from
Tie south coming in heavily loaded half
an AOur late and the 5:45 from the east an
hoUr behind time. On account of these
delays and owing to the band concert the
audience was not very large. On the
stage with President Hall Of the associa-
ton were Gov. Ormsbee, Mayor Henry
President Buckham, Rev. Dr. Halves
Hon Justus Dart, State superintendent
'of education, William A. Mowry of Bos-
rGn, Hon. b. &. Northrop of Rhode Is
4GI2, Hon J. NJ. Tyler of Brattleboro,
chairman Of the State school commission
c.. Alger, ESD, of the city and the
spec kers of the evening
President Hall called the session to or
Ger end introduced Gov Ormsbee who de
.iTered an address of welcome. The fol-
ewing is an abstract of his remarks
GOV oRNsBEEs ADDRESS.
TO rie has been assigned the pleasant
duty OK extending to You a welcome to
shls State and to this city, to which it has
De2U your pleasure to come The impor-
caace of your work cannot be overesti-
anGteO. Any demand you NAV make will
not I've considered excessive 1t has been
said that to our Green Mountain State
has been given the privilege OF sending
out TO other States men of brains This
privilege brings corresponding duty. 1t
dehoOveS us to look after our schools and
colleges. These institutions must hail
your coming with joy for to your field of
labor they look for support. Your work
has mostly to do with our common schools
These are the feeders of our higher insti-
buttons and of the whole body polite 1t
has been said that education in Vermont
is on the decline 1t Is not for me to
affirm or to deny this, but it
Is conceded that more or less
concern exists among our people
on this subject. This feeling showed it
self in the act of the last legislature es-
faDllshlng commission to revise our
school legislation. This commission has
been appointed and in order that the path
may be made more plain for them they
will be in attendance here. You have not
come 20 jeld of apathy In connection
Nltu thlS welcome let me say that we
ha' no forbidden ground Ii the fields
contain weeds show Us the way to uproot
Them without injury to the wheat. Our
state at TINS season offers many pleasant
objects OF observation and study. DO not
.au TO draw on our resources 50 long as
you ct&y mere expect that the good
people OF ,Gi- city Will vie with each
other III making your stay pleasant.
cordially bid you welcome to our Green
Mountain State and TO this her Queen
City and hope you will be so well salts
lied chat you will come again.
GOV Ormsbee's cordial words of well |
come were received with applause and
pleasant response was made by President
Hail
REMARKS OF PRESIDENT HALL.
II gives me pleasure to listen to your
words of welcome and thank you. We
come as peaceful company into your
peacetul community, net to SOW seeds |
Ut dissensipn but for orr common
2oo". The Statesmen whom Vermont has !
sent forth nave no supporters. When We
see me Patriotism Of Nermonters our
5h0cGhts naturally 20 back to the Green
Md4ht"!n boys in the revolutionary war
IN uhe realm of literature we have emf
leEt name, too We are all lovers of
nature and Vermont has attractions on
every hand Accept in behalf of the
American Institute of Instruction our
.hanks Tor your kind welcome.
President Hall then introduced Hon.
W, 4 Howard of Fairhaven, VT, who
opened the discussion Township VS.. Dis
+rlct Systems of Public Schools"
NR. HowARD's ARGUMENT.
y thing is not necessarily the best be
cause it Is the oldest Even in New
England it is possible for thing
TO Outliye its usefulness. So it NAV
ne IN the most conservative State in con
sentative New England and the time may
come when we see that Father Time has
LETT rs far behind The speaker followed
witt graphic sketch OF the district school
of olden time and added that it has done
good service but with our present condi.
lions Il we were to consider the district
school question dc HODO it would not be
th1ught wise to undertake it. Our popu
Lar ion ~ shifting. Our towns and cities
are gaming at the expense of the coun-
Try. The observing stranger riding
through the state cannot but be impressed
with the deserted farm houses. am not
pesslmist and do not look on the dark
side of life, | draw no conclusions from
this change of population but simply state
che facts. This changed condition has
had its influence on the schools The back
districts are getting further back and let
us see what this involves as il is not wise
TO conceal the truth.
hnt a child in a room by him
self with teacher and he will learn some
thing as matter of course. But there
will ee no stir and glow of competition
and the only wonder will be that he does
no5 become melancholy. 1t IL much bet
tel for Child to walk three miles to live
school than to go three rods to a place
where the spring of learning has become
"a stagnant pool. We often, though not |
age district school affairs. We cannot ex
pect much from them. In one district |
they may desire good schools and have |
them. In the next the contrary may be |
the case. Under the town system the |
men would be more likely to be OF a higher
degree Of intelligence. Under our present |
system the town superintendent visits
school once year, soaring the pupils half
OFT Of their wits and the teat hers quite. |
The committeeman makes visit once in
a lifetime.
Yle constant change of teachers is one
OF The greatest evils of the present sys.
tenn. Each one begins where the last one
began. The average committeeman has
some relative to whom he wishes to give
the school or else he will change teachers
in order 10 save 10 cents a day. Under
the town system this evil would in a
measure be done away with, For similar
reasons better school houses, apparatus
aaod material would be provided Each
town would be able to classify its schools,
the lack of which is at present one of the
greatest evils of the district School svs-